Tour of Britain - Stage 1

The Scottish Borders is once again delighted to be hosting the Tour of Britain, following a stage finish at Floors Castle, Kelso in 2015, the Grand Depart in Peebles in 2013 and a stage start in Jedburgh in 2012.

The Grand Depart will take place in Edinburgh and travel through East Lothian before reaching the Scottish Borders. Spectators will have the added bonus this year of Kelso featuring twice on the route, with a loop running through the town ahead of the finish later in the afternoon. More details of what will be happening in Kelso can be found here Visit Kelso leaflet. Kelso Wheelers, the local cycling club, are also arranging a number of rides and details can be found here.

In Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology it is very appropriate that Stage One will pass through and finish in an area with such a rich history. From the castles of Duns, Hume, Roxburgh and Floors to the home of rugby sevens in Melrose, the birthplace of the Coldstream Guards and the iconic Scott’s View vista, named after Sir Walter Scott, the route takes in some of the region’s gems, which draw in tens of thousands of visitors every year.

Stage One also passes close to the Abbeys of Melrose, Dryburgh and Kelso, which are linked with that at Jedburgh by the Four Abbeys Cycle Route.

All along the route there will be incredible viewing opportunities, from the moorland of the Lammermuir hills to the town centres of Duns, Coldstream and Melrose, and of course Scott’s View, with the backdrop of the Eildon Hills. Along the way, riders will contest three intermediate Eisberg Sprints at Gifford, Coldstream and Melrose.

Stage One will tackle three SKODA King of the Mountains climbs, the first at Redstone Rig in East Lothian, an 8-kilometre climb last used in the 2015 Tour of Britain. Two further categorised climbs will come at Scott’s View and the Eildon Hills in the Scottish Borders, both of which are located on the loop that riders will tackle having passed through Kelso.

Spectators will also be able to take in both the Grand Depart in Edinburgh and the stage as it passes through the Borders, utilising the Borders Railway between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank.

The first stage of the 2017 Tour of Britain also coincides with the annual Tour O’ The Borders closed-road cycle sportive in the Tweeddale area and the Cross Border Sportive between Cumbria and towards Newcastleton.